Project 808

A self-initiated campaign site that has to do three things at once: make the case for a creative manufacturing studio in Chicago to funders and city officials, recruit community input through a survey that doubles as proof of demand, and show how I think with no client to hide behind.

I designed, wrote, and built it solo — strategist, designer, and developer. It's live now in Phase 01 at project-808.vercel.app.

Chicago trains world-class creative talent, but it suffers from severe "brain drain" because graduates immediately lose access to the industrial machinery needed to build physical products and scale businesses.

The Resource Gap: In school, designers use $50K industrial labs. After graduation, they are left with consumer-grade hobbyist tools. Localized manufacturing infrastructure exists in NYC and LA, but Chicago has a massive void.

The Tariff Crisis: With recent apparel import tariffs soaring to 40–60%, independent designers can no longer afford to outsource production overseas. They need an affordable, local manufacturing default.

Project 808 is a campaign and blueprint for a multi-disciplinary creative manufacturing studio in Chicago. It bridges the gap between raw ideas and scalable production through a dual-track operational model.

The Guided Track: Connects non-technical entrepreneurs with in-house master artisans to prototype products.

The Autonomous Track: Gives certified, independent makers affordable, on-demand access to industrial equipment (textiles, CNC routers, laser cutters).

To keep the model asset-light, I designed a B2B partnership strategy where machinery brands (like Juki and Glowforge) donate equipment in exchange for regional brand activation and marketing visibility.

I designed the digital platform to act as a strategic validation engine that actively manufactures the credibility and data needed to secure city backing and investor capital.

High-End Editorial Layout: Built a premium, deeply structured interface to establish immediate legitimacy as a serious economic development initiative, not a hobbyist space.

Comparative Data Visuals: Engineered scannable tables pitting Chicago's infrastructure deficit directly against NYC and LA to force stakeholders to face the competitive gap causing our talent drain.

Embedded Survey Engine: Integrated a research tool directly into the core user flow to capture real-time market proof — exact machine needs and price points — providing the empirical evidence required to secure our Phase 1 seed target ($250K–$750K).